The Data Dictionary provides a way to declare validation rules on selected fields and have violations of those rules manifest in different ways, from notices ("You might want to make that title shorter") to warnings ("Please make that title shorter") to errors ("You won't be able to save until you make that title shorter").
The rules are based upon expressions, so there's a fair amount of flexibility is what can be tested. You can, for example, trigger violations based upon word count, capitalization, media width/height, etc. This is a main selling point, along with the ability to interactively present violations in the editing interface and provisions for browsing on violations.
This feature was developed several years ago specifically for the Association of Nova Scotia Museums, but a configuration interface was lacking until recently, so no one but them were using it. As part of recent grant-funded work, the feature was expanded and a configuration user interface finally added. There's also now provision for specifying dictionary entries in installation profiles.
Documentation for the feature is being worked upon and will be added to the manual (https://manual.collectiveaccess.org) soon.
seth
